Pakistani farmer Wazir Jamal was so upset about being forced off his patch of land to make way for an army base in the Swat Valley that he killed himself, family and friends said.

The army pushed Pakistani Taliban militants out of the scenic northwestern valley with a big offensive in 2009 and it is determined to keep them at bay.

However, in securing Swat with new checkpoints and bases, the army has had to take over some land, fueling resentment among people who were happy to see soldiers chase the Taliban away, but now wonder about the cost.

The 53-year-old Jamal, distraught at the thought of losing the means to support his wife and children, became overwhelmed by despair and shot himself, relatives said.

“We’re not against the army, but please don’t rob us of our lives,” said Kaleem Ullah, Jamal’s 16-year-old son. “The army has driven away the Taliban so why do they need to stay?”

With its meadows, trout streams and forest-clad Himalayan foothills, Swat, 120km northwest of the capital, Islamabad, was once a paradise for family holidaymakers, honeymooners and backpackers.

The valley even had Pakistan’s only ski resort.

That all changed when Pakistani Taliban militants infiltrated from the Afghan border and overran the 5,000km2 valley in 2007.